Parents' Guide to

Annie (1982)

By Sarah Wenk, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Classic orphan tale has great songs, some iffy content.

Movie PG 1982 127 minutes
Annie (1982) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 50 parent reviews

age 18+

Sexualization in front of children

I personally don't see why it is any child's business to see a woman acting sexual in front of a man (Daddy Warbux) to entice him. While it can be give funny by adults, it is just not necessary for kids to see. I was annoyed that I rented it and had a few things come up to the point that I had to fast forward. Now my daughter wants the movie for her birthday, and I have to say "no". It could have been avoided by just not seeing it in the first place. Ugh

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
3 people found this helpful.
age 2+

Your missing the point

I mean there may be some sexy and swearing stuff but I mean it's just a movie relax people kids won't understand it anyway
2 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (50 ):
Kids say (62 ):

This beloved adaptation of the Broadway musical is sometimes uneven, but its charms take over by the end. The songs in Annie are a mixed bag -- "Dumb Dog" is just not all that good, but you'll have "It's the Hard-Knock Life" stuck in your head for days, and by the time Annie sings "Tomorrow" to President Roosevelt, you'll be singing it along with her.

Some of the performances are outstanding, particularly Burnett as Miss Hannigan. In the title role of Annie, Quinn is a fine singer, if not all that dynamic otherwise. The orphan girls are fun, and Finney is wonderfully brusque but really an old softy as Daddy Warbucks. One definite issue is the racist portrayal of Warbucks' bodyguards, Punjab and The Asp. Be sure to talk to kids about why this kind of representation is problematic.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate